Darwinism
>(other than as applied to minor adaptation) is a major fraud perpetrated
>on an unthinking public.
My unthinking response is, Duh.
The success of Darwinism is clearly due primarily to
>the apparent - but spurious - scientific credibility it lends to an a
>priori materialist-atheist philosophical position.
People can do whatever they wish with scientific information and theories.
Science can be used to support whatever philosophical world-view people want
to argue for. This doesn't meant that the science is wrong. If you don't
like the metaphysical conclusions that some people bring to evolution
science, then focus your argument against the philosophy. If you don't like
the science, then argue against it. But be careful about throwing out
science because you don't like the metaphysical conclusions SOME people make
from the science.
The naturalistic conclusion is not the only world-view supported by
evolution science. Try reading some of the so-called theistic
evolutionists--or evolutionary creationists as some prefer to be called.
Then he goes on with the following diatribe:
Darwinism as meaning chance-driven,
>meaningless, purposeless, random change fuelled by a naked competition
>for survival has had a devastating effect on the modern psyche.
>So-called free market capitalism is merrily destroying the planet before
>our very eyes in the name of competition, survival of the fittest and
>'reproductive success' (where dividends are the offspring). Agriculture
>and medecine are dominated by a stupid reductionist approach
[clip]
The net result is a planet struggling to
>survive the combined assault of a science and technology that has lost
>touch with the wholeness of life.
and...
[clip]
I see the following priorities:
>
>1. To continue to point up the inadequacies and inconsistencies of the
>neo-Darwinist position and to try to ensure that the case against is
>brought to the widest possible public attention, particularly in the
>education system
and this wierd, claim...
>My own view is that we have to learn to look beyond the individual
>organism for the source of form. It is *not* just encoded in the genes.
>There are formative forces raying in from all sides from the cosmos and
>more particularly from our solar system. The work of Lawrence Edwards on
>the influences from the moon and planets on the form of leaf buds is
>groundbreaking work and points in a new direction which can break out of
>the conceptual prison of the reductionist mentality.
Then he writes this disclaimer...
> I have no competence in palaeontology or biology)
Those statements (above) were pretty strong stuff for someone who admits to
lack of competence in evaluating them. This is especially evident in the
conclusions regarding the effect of moon rays on plant budding. Even if
there is some demonstrable confluence between phases of the moon and leaf
budding, this doesn't mean that this will provide a release form the
"conceptual prison of reductionist mentality". In fact, I predict that if
such a coincidence is confirmed, the field will become quickly reductionist.
There is no reason to think that such "research" is "ground-breaking".
Then he writes this....
>If the
>case for divine creation is not to remain purely a matter of faith... it
will be necessary to attempt
>to show or at least plausibly suggest how a divinely-initiated and
>-guided evolution could have taken place
followed by the inconsistent disclaimer...
>(not
>that there's anything wrong with that) [i.e, faith],
If nothing is wrong with faith-based belief in divine creation, why promote
the idea that it needs to have empirical proof? This is the sort of
positivism promoted by the CRI and others of like minds which damages both
their theology and science.
Cheers,
Steve
_________________________________________________________
Steven S. Clark, Ph.D . Phone: 608/263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: 608/263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology and Email: ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
UW Comprehensive Cancer Center
CSC K4-432
600 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI 53792
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to
search out a matter." Proverbs
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